The Broncos officially signed 13 college free agents Friday but it came at the expense of two roster players.

With the Broncos needing to stay at the NFL offseason roster limit after the additions, they waived outside linebacker Garrett Nelson and offensive lineman Marques Cox. However, both were told there remains the possibility either could be brought back if perhaps not all of the college free agents pan out at this weekend’s rookie minicamp.

Broncos players took the field Friday for the start of the three-day minicamp, which concludes Sunday.

The 13 signed undrafted free-agent rookies all had agreed to terms shortly after the April 23-25 draft. They are California cornerback Brent Austin, Oregon long snapper Luke Basso, Northern Arizona wide receiver Kolbe Katsis, Georgia Tech cornerback Ahmari Harvey, Nebraska wide receiver Dane Key, Nebraska outside linebacker Dasan McCullough, TCU wide receiver Joseph Manjack, Iowa State offensive lineman Tyler Miller, Weber State offensive lineman Gavin Ortega, Oklahoma State safety Parker Robertson, Virginia wide receiver Cam Ross, Tennessee cornerback Will Wright and Texas A&M linebacker Taurean York.

Key is the brother of Broncos safety Devon Key. He got a deal with a $10,000 signing bonus in addition to having $20,000 of his contract guaranteed.

Charlotte wide receiver Sean Brown also had agreed to terms. Brown reported Thursday to Denver, but failed his physical while still recovering from a foot injury he had suffered and he did not sign.

Brown’s omission meant the Broncos needed to waive two players, rather than three. The NFL offseason roster limit is 90, however, the Broncos are permitted 91 due to punter Jeremy Crawshaw, a native of Australia, having a roster exemption as an international player.

Nelson and Cox both signed futures deals with the Broncos last January. Both had multiple stints in 2025 on the practice squad.

In addition to the 13 undrafted players signed, also taking part in the Broncos rookie minicamp are the seven players they selected in the draft. Tight end Justin Joly (fifth-round pick), safety Miles Scott (seventh), tight end Dallen Bennett (seventh) and linebacker Red Murdock (seventh) have signed their contracts while defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim (third round), running back Jonah Coleman (fourth) and offensive lineman Kage Casey (fourth) are participating under injury protection agreements.

The rookie minicamp also includes some eligible roster players with limited NFL experience and tryout players. Both quarterbacks on hand are on tryouts in veteran Nathan Peterson and E.J. Warner, an undrafted rookie from Fresno State and the son of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner.

Schedule release set for Thursday

Broncos fans already know the foes for 2026. Next week, they will learn the dates and times for Denver’s games.

The NFL announced Friday that the 2026 schedule will be released at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The defending AFC West champion Broncos will play eight games at home and nine on the road after having the reverse in 2025. Their foes are as follows:

Home: Kansas City, Las Vegas and the Los Angeles Chargers of the AFC West, Buffalo, Miami, Jacksonville, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle.

Away: Kansas City, Las Vegas, the Chargers, New England, Pittsburgh, New York Jets, Arizona, San Francisco and Carolina.

Rookie numbers given out

The Broncos have assigned jersey numbers for their seven draft picks, but say they could be subject to change.

Onyedim will wear No. 98, Coleman 20, Casey 78, Joly 80, Scott 39, Bentley 89 and Murdock 50.

Perhaps it is appropriate that Murdock will don No. 50. He is Mr. Irrelevant for being the last player selected in the draft, and it was 50 years ago that the first Mr. Irrelevant was celebrated in 1976 in Dayton receiver Kelvin Kirk, taken by Pittsburgh.